Instagram Sex Trafficking Case Judge Grapples With Section 230

A San Francisco federal judge overseeing a lawsuit from a woman alleging a sex trafficker used Meta Platforms Inc.‘s Instagram app to sell her for sex was challenged by the scope of the tech industry’s federal immunity law at a Tuesday hearing.

Judge Rita F. Lin said differing legal precedents from appeals courts about the powers of Section 230 of the federal Communications Decency Act left her conflicted about whether that legal shield applies to Meta.

“I’m having a hard time reconciling these cases in some ways,” Lin said of the different rulings.

Section 230, passed by Congress in ...